Pentagon suspends all F-35 flights due to crack in engine blade

The US Marine Corps version of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, F-35B test aircraft BF-2 flies over the Atlantic test range at Patuxent River Naval Air Systems Command in Maryland on Feb 22, 2012. he Pentagon on Friday suspended the flights of all F-35 fighter planes after a routine inspection revealed a crack on a turbine blade in the jet engine of an F-35 test aircraft in California. -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The Pentagon on Friday suspended the flights of all F-35 fighter planes after a routine inspection revealed a crack on a turbine blade in the jet engine of an F-35 test aircraft in California.

It was the second grounding of the warplane in two months.

The F-35 program office said it was too early to know if this was a fleet-wide issue, but it was suspending all flights until an investigation was completed.

It said it was working closely with Pratt & Whitney, the United Technologies Corp unit that builds the engine, and Lockheed Martin Corp, the prime contractor for the radar-evading warplane, to ensure the integrity of the engine and return the F-35 fleet to flight as soon as possible.